Free Bird
by samcros
Summary: If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me? For I must be travelin' on now, there's too many places I got to see.
1. Synopsis

_If I leave here tomorrow_

 _Would you still remember me_

 _For I must be travelin' on now_

 _There's too many places I got to see_

Upon first glance, people would assume Holly Morelli was some just 'some blonde bimbo.' They were wrong.

Once they found out she was linked to a motorcycle club, they laughed and assumed she was an old lady, sweetbutt or a hang around. Once again, they were wrong.

She wasn't just linked, she was a member.

Moving back to Charming, for her own safety, Holly is welcomed back to the club.

But just like everything else, the club had changed. Same went with the members.

Will Holly be able to adjust to the way SAMCRO now run things? Or will she have to find another club to join?

Of course, it isn't too long until her past catches up to her.

In a town like Charming, everyone has their secrets, but what will happen when those secrets are revealed?

 _note: i do not own sons of anarchy, or any of the characters from the show. this book will coincide with the events in the series. all credit for those goes to the writers/creators of the show._

 **spotify playlist** \- user/strvctures/playlist/1NfjEwhFKXrqZdC4DbOsNK


	2. Prologue

**listen to** problem **by** natalia kills | **note** this chapter is a flashback, and will be set in the years 2003  & 2008

* * *

Taking a long drag from her cigarette, Holly leaned against the outside of the garage office and breathed out. Looking across the lot, she watched as two of her best friends - Jackson 'Jax' Teller, her on/off boyfriend and Harry 'Opie' Winston, who was married to another one of her best friends - stared at Jax's new bike in awe. It's black exterior gleamed in the sunlight, making it look much more appealing.

But there was no fooling Holly. Jax knew as soon as he stepped foot into that lot, he'd be in for an interrogation. Not many twenty year olds around town had money to splurge on bikes, especially those who had only _just_ become a full member of the club. Jax hadn't been on any paying jobs, and neither had Holly or Opie. Sure, they all had their jobs working in the garage, but it would take a lot more than towing a few cars and tightening some bolts to earn you a bike.

"Nice bike" Holly nodded towards the object of attention, as she made her way over.

Opie looked up to see the unimpressed look on Holly's face, before excusing himself and leaving the couple alone. He had been around their fights before, and they were far from pretty. There was no way in hell he was getting stuck between them again...

"Yeah... Kinda why I got it" Jax answered with a sarcastic tone, giving the brunette a cheeky grin to let her know he was only joking. This was the first time she had spoken to him in three days, so he didn't want to take any chances.

"Yeah, about that... _How_ did you get it? Did you steal it? Hold up a bank?" Holly questioned, taking another drag from her cigarette "Oh, I know! You used the money you told me you _didn't have_?" she added, with an irritated sigh as she glared at the male.

She wasn't lying... She had asked him to go and pay the electricity bill, but what did he say in response? He told her he didn't have the money. So Holly had to call her parents and ask for some, just a week after she last spoke to them and insisted that she and Jax were doing great living on their own.

"One of those is correct" Jax answered vaguely, with a simple shrug. Meeting Holly's questioning gaze, he threw his arms up in defense "Hey, I didn't ask you how you bought those shoes" he glanced down at her cowboy boots.

"Fine. Be like that" Holly shrugged, dropping her cigarette to the ground and stamping it out with her boot "Hope that lounge is comfortable" she added, spinning around and walking back to the garage. If she didn't get back to work, Gemma would kill her. The amount of paperwork piled up was ridiculous.

Taking her seat behind the desk, Holly re-commenced her work. It wasn't long before a customer appeared at the door, meaning she would have to pause what she was doing and add even more work. If the others didn't come back from their trip soon, she'd have to hire strangers off the street to help out - that's how desperate they were.

"How may I help you?" Holly questioned, as she put on a cheery tone. This was because apparently she used to 'scare customers away' with the way she usually spoke. Which Holly found to be complete and utter bullshit.

After finding out the customers name, and going through the usual process, Holly guided the male out to his car and handed the keys over. Leaving before he could start up another conversation, she made it back into the office before the phone rang out.

"Teller Morrow Automotive, Holly speaking. How may I help you?" the female questioned, as she placed the phone between her shoulder and her head. Sitting down, she decided to kill two birds with one stone and fill in some paperwork.

"It's only me, sweetie. You gave me such a fright! I've been calling the land-line for an hour now, and you wouldn't pick up" Holly's mother began to ramble, causing her to roll her eyes.

"Yeah, well I _do_ have a job" Holly let out a sigh "Listen, is this important? Because I'm swimming in paperwork here" she questioned, waiting for an answer.

"Oh, well I was just ringing to see if you have changed your mind? You know, it isn't so bad out here in Texas... Since you and Jackson are having problems..." Mrs Morelli continued, before Holly hung up on her.

She didn't need this right now.

* * *

Opening the door between the garage and the office, Holly finished yelling at one of the prospects as she noticed Gemma standing in the office. Holly's eyes widened slightly, before she shut the door.

"Gemma... thank God you're here" Holly let out a long, exhausted, sigh as the older female raised her eyebrow. She wasn't meant to be back this early, even though Holly was glad the work was back to being Gemma's responsibility.

"Don't thank him, thank Jax. He rang me up and said you've been... Irritable. Thought I'd come back and take the reins again" Gemma shrugged, watching as Holly walked from one side of the office to the other will her arms full of papers and folders.

"I can handle this" Holly promised, using her arms to gesture the office as she said 'this.' Taking the lollipop out of her mouth, Holly threw the stick into the bin "My mum's been hassling me about moving to Texas with her and Dad. I thought after two years she'd give up, but it's the opposite. Can't catch a fucking break" Holly groaned, as Gemma placed her hands on her hips.

"So you aren't taking them up on their offer anytime soon?" Gemma questioned, as Holly glared at her.

"Are you kidding me? The only way you'll get me out of this club and town is in a prison van or a body bag" the female answered, as if the answer were obvious.

Excusing herself as Gemma answered a call, Holly headed into the garage and started work on one of the cars. Sliding underneath it, Holly started to work away. After a half hour, she noticed someone standing by the hood of the car.

Sliding back out, she stood up to see a tall, bald and burly looking male.

"Thought I told you not to contact me at work" Holly tried to remain calm, as the male looked down at her.

"Thought I told you not to avoid paying me _my_ money" the male mimicked Holly, raising an eyebrow as he waited for a response.

"Listen, asshole, I told you I'd pay double next week" Holly reminded, jabbing the males chest to emphasise 'you.'

"See, that ain't good enough. You either give me the money now or I'm taking that house and car away from you and your shithead boyfriend" he warned, as Holly's grip tightened on the spanner in her hand.

* * *

Tightening the bandanna on her head, Holly studied her appearance and frowned. How was she meant to explain this one?

Shutting the locker door, Holly had traded her blue jumpsuit covered in oil and grease for her cut, some denim shorts, a SAMCRO t-shirt - and of course, her cowboy boots.

"Mother of Christ, what happened to you?" Chibs questioned, once his eyes landed on the girl. He wondered if she and Jax had gotten into _another_ fight, but then he knew Jax would never hurt Holly. Physically speaking.

"May or may not have gotten into a fight..." Holly shrugged innocently, as her fingers brushed over her grazed chin.

"You've got balls, kiddo" Chibs laughed, shaking his head as he studied her busted lip and elbows that were also grazed.

"Thanks. Took them from the guy who did this" Holly grinned, as she pointed to her lip "He was being an asshole to his girlfriend, so I stepped in and told him to stop. And well, you can picture the rest" Holly waved her hand, turning her head as she heard footsteps.

"I'll leave you two to talk" Chibs gave Jax a brief nod, before giving Holly a wave. Leaving the garage, Chibs headed into the clubhouse.

Once he realised the damage done to Holly's appearance, Jax frowned as he gently tilted her chin to the side to further inspect.

"You gonna give me a name?" Jax questioned, although it was more of a demand.

"I've already sorted it out, don't worry" Holly let out a sigh, backing away from Jax. Unfortunately, she had no such luck doing so. Grabbing her arm gently, Jax pulled her closer towards him.

"I don't care if you sorted it out! You're _my_ girlfriend, and someone has done this to you. I want to get _my_ revenge" Jax explained, with a stern tone.

"Fine. It was that guy who's been trying to take the car, and the house... We're in deep shit, Jax. I told Chibs I got into a fight with some guy who was being a dick to his girlfriend - I don't want people feeling sorry for us and tiptoe around everything. This is _our_ problem, so _we_ will sort it out" Holly paused, as she took a deep breath in "I got something lined up within the next few days, after that, I'll get my money and pay off as much as I can" she promised, however Jax wasn't going to wait that long.

* * *

Wincing as she pulled her t-shirt over her head, Holly looked at her reflection in the mirror. With a tattoo on one side, and bruises on the other, her mothers words came to mind. Shaking the thoughts away, Holly continued to undress before getting into the shower.

After ten minutes, Holly finally dragged herself out from under the hot water and started to get dry. The day had finally come, she was going on her first _actual_ job. Unofficially, that is, but Opie felt like he wasn't ready yet. But he wasn't going to admit that anytime soon.

Cigarette between her lips, Holly shuffled into the bedroom as she looked through her draws for some suitable clothes. Dropping her towel, she stepped into her black jeans and started to jump as she pulled them up.

"Now that's a sight I wouldn't get sick of..." Jax joked, as he walked over to the female. Right now, they were back on good terms. Wrapping his arms around her small waist as he stood behind her, Jax placed a kiss on her slightly bare shoulder.

"Jax, I need to get ready" Holly reminded him, as she rolled her eyes and tried to wriggle out of his grip. This didn't deter him, of course.

"Ready for what?" Jax questioned, as he spun the female around and continued to kiss her - this time on the lips.

"Something" Holly mumbled against Jax's lips as she briefly kissed him back, pulling away seconds later to retrieve a black t-shirt out of her drawer.

"What's going on?" Jax took a step back from her, both confused and concerned. They always told each other what they were doing, well, ninety-percent of the time anyway.

"Nothing you need to worry about" Holly reassured the male, as she pulled the shirt on. Sliding her arms into her black hoodie, she zipped it up and sighed as she studied his expression "I've got shit to do, that's all. I'll only be an hour or two..." Holly promised, slinging a duffle bag over her shoulder.

Heading out of the door, she quickly retraced her steps and gave Jax a goodbye kiss to shut him up. Pulling away, she jogged outside and got into her bike - BMX, that is, not her motorcycle. She needed to make it look like she was home - and headed over to Opie's.

* * *

The annoyance in Donna's voice let Holly know she didn't approve of Opie leaving her this time of night, to sort out 'club shit.'

Turning her attention away from Opie, Donna's eyes landed on Holly.

"You keep him out of trouble, okay?" the brunette made Holly promise.

"Of course, Don" she nodded, the amusement from Donna and Opie's fighting disappearing.

"Ready to go now?" Opie interrupted the two females, as he zipped his hoodie up. Nodding, Holly pushed her chair out and stood up. Placing it back under the table, Holly said goodbye before going out to Kyle - one of the slightly older, fully patched members - who was waiting out in the truck.

She knew this could turn out badly, but it was too late for Holly to bail out now.

"Get excited, kids" Kyle joked, as the other two exchanged glances.

"Get a move on, old man" Holly laughed, as the truck reversed down the driveway and headed towards the location of the job.

* * *

 _ **2008**_

"Jax?" Gemma asked, as she rubbed her eyes. It was late at night, or early morning, and she couldn't see a thing.

"Is uh, is Wendy there?" Jax questioned, knowing there was only about a 5% chance of her being there.

"No. Why?" Gemma asked quietly, not wanting to wake Clay.

"She never came home, that's all. I'm worried about the baby" the male explained.

"She probably crashed at a friends..." Gemma suggested, as she yawned "Listen baby, wait until the morning - or daylight, now - until you go out searching. Stay put in case she comes home..." Gemma added, before Jax sighed and hung up.

Dragging himself back to his bed, Jax collapsed onto the mattress and shut his eyes in attempt to catch some sleep.

The sound of the alarm soon woke Jax up, as he reached his hand over and hit the off button. Groaning as he sat up, he called out Wendy's name as he heard footsteps. However, there was no response.

"It's just me" Gemma grumbled, juggling grocery bags. Placing them on the kitchen bench, she looked up to see Jax.

He looked like shit. There were dark bags under his eyes, his face was pale, and his clothes were crumpled and creased.

It sent a chill down Gemma's spine to see him like this, and she couldn't help but frown.

"She's not back?" Gemma questioned, pulling her son in for a hug as he started to shake his head.

"I swear to God, if she went out to score..." Jax sighed, as he pulled away and switched the coffee peculator on.

"Oh, cut that shit out Jax" Gemma shook her head, as she placed the groceries away "She'll be back, I know it" Gemma promised, pulling her phone out of her bag as it started to ring.

Going into another room, Gemma answered the call.

"Gemma? It's me, Holly. I-I need a favour" the female on the other end let out a sigh, as Gemma paced back and forth.

"What do you need, baby?" Gemma questioned.

"I need to come back - to the club, to Charming, to my _home_ " Holly pleaded, leaning her head against the wall beside her. She was currently in a phone-box, not exactly enjoying it.

"Shit... I- I'd have to ask Clay. Are you in trouble?" Gemma ran a hand through her hair, as she questioned the female.

"I can't explain..." Holly paused, looking over her shoulder "Fuck..." she groaned, dropping the phone from her hand as she left the phone-box and hid in the shrubs beside the footpath.

"Hello?!" Gemma questioned, eventually hanging up when she realised Holly was no longer there. Getting up, Gemma returned to the kitchen and grabbed her handbag.

"I gotta go... Uh, ring me if the junkie doesn't show up" Gemma placed a kiss on Jax's cheek, before heading out to her car.

* * *

 **a/n** hope you enjoyed this chapter!

 **unedited**


	3. Pilot

**listen to** my songs know what you did in the dark (light em up) **by** fall out boy

* * *

 _Fresh air._

After a week in hospital, and three days driving, Holly was taking all the chances she could get to breathe in and soak up the sun rays. Plus, she was going back home.

She never thought she would ever be going back - not to her house, but her _home_ \- to Charming. She wasn't that thrilled about the possibility of facing Jax after all these years, and knowing that there was 0.1% of a chance that Jax would have actually left the club _and_ Charming - she knew it would be coming.

Tossing her bag into the passenger seat of her car - a black 1969 Dodge Charger, a sixteenth birthday present from her father - Holly got in and shut the door. This was it... A fresh start. Kind of. More like a do-over, but a start nonetheless.

Checking the time, the blonde calculated that she could check out the town again before she headed to Teller-Morrow. She was glad she had her spot in the club. But she found the whole situation strange... She was sure after what had happened, they'd all be angry her.

Turning on her car stereo, Holly started to sing along as she got bored of seeing nothing but trees. What didn't expect to see - or want to see - was smoke coming out from under the hood of the car.

"Mother fucker" Holly groaned, as she watched the tachometer drop down to zero.

Steering the car onto the side of the road, Holly immediately got out and walked around to the front of the car. Lifting the hood up, she coughed as the smoke come up and started to wave it away.

Attempting to fix it, she touched part of the engine without thinking. As her skin made contact with the hot surface, she winced and pulled her hand away.

Looking around to figure out where she was, she noticed the large ' _Welcome to Charming'_ sign behind her and rolled her eyes. Of course.

Taking out her phone, she called Teller-Morrow Automotive - asking for someone to pick her car up, and tow it back. She didn't give her name away, only her location. She didn't want them to not come out here, just because it was her. She would have fixed it herself, but she wanted to wait until she had all of her tools.

"You still sure about this?" Gemma asked Clay, as they stood inside the office. Looking through the blinds, they watched as Jax worked on one of the bikes.

Placing the tool that he had previously been using back down, Jax tried his best to not let his soon-to-be-child fill his thoughts again.

Not that he didn't care about it, it just upset him to know what Wendy could be up to. He was just glad the divorce papers were all complete and handed in, leaving him to focus on the club and preparing the nursery.

"Of course! She's done her time, she's a valuable member and she deserves her spot" Clay frowned, sliding his sunglasses on to shield his eyes "Let's go break the news" the male added, as he walked out with Gemma trailing behind.

* * *

Ordering everyone to get inside the Chapel, even the prospect, they all sat around the table wondering what was going on. Of course people were worried, but the prospect thought this meeting was all about him - whether he was about to get patched-in, or kicked out.

They all settled down once Clay entered.

"Alright, listen up... As you can tell, we're a little short on members. Thus the reason I'm adding one more to the family" Clay announced, as the other members glanced over at the prospect and then back to Clay with a look of uncertainty.

Not that the prospect was bad, he was just... Not quite ready yet. Jax, being Club Vice President, felt slightly angered that Clay hadn't spoke to him about this. He knew it was Clay's club, but he could have at least put it to a vote. Or even consulted Jax about it.

Pulling into the TM parking lot, Holly stepped out of the truck and took a deep breath in. She shook her thoughts away, grabbing her bag and tossing it over her shoulder. Shutting the door, she returned the smile one of the mechanics had given her.

"Morning, Holly" he sang out, genuinely pleased to see her.

"Morning" she sent a nod in his direction, continuing on to the Clubhouse. Pushing the front door open, the familiar smell of beer and cigarette smoke hit Holly and she felt a wave of nostalgia.

 _Stay strong, Holly_. She thought to herself, subconsciously glancing down at her appearance. With her denim cut off shorts, boots and a grey shirt - she knew she would be out of place. And of course, due to the fact she was clearly a female.

Tucking her sunglasses into her bag, her eyes landed on Gemma who was sat behind the bar.

"Holly! I almost didn't recognise you with that hair... It looks good, baby!" she exclaimed, gesturing for the blonde to come over to her.

"Thanks" Holly grinned, walking over and giving her a hug.

"We'll catch up later, everyone's waiting for you" Gemma informed the female "I'll mind that for you" she added, pointing to Holly's bag. Smiling, Holly handed it over and headed over to the Chapel. She paused, turning around to face Gemma again.

"Does he know?" Holly asked, and Gemma simply shook her head. Gulping, Holly headed over to the door and knocked.

"Everyone welcome the newest addition to Sam Crow..." Clay instructed, as the prospect was practically hanging off the edge of his seat. Opening the door, Clay smiled "Get in here, Morelli" he jerked his head towards the inside of the chapel.

Jax raised his eyebrow as Clay said 'Morelli' but figured it was just a coincidence. If it were Holly, Clay or Gemma would have said something by now. The prospect scooted back into his seat, feeling his stomach drop as he realised that he was not in fact named Morelli and he was inside.

Everyone looked towards the door, as a tall blonde woman stepped in - Holly. Holly Morelli. The love of Jax's life, even if he told you otherwise or refused to even _speak_ her name.

"Blondie!" Chibs beamed, getting up to hug the girl. Everyone else came rushing over, also greeting her. The prospect, however, just sat there. He had no idea who this girl was, or why she was a new member.

Jax also decided to keep still in his seat, partly because he was trying to calm himself down and not lunge towards Clay and strangle him. For five years, he had been trying to get her out of his mind. It was impossible, yes. But he was still willing to try.

And now she was back, as if everything was fine. As if she hadn't ditched the club, and left him that night.

Without warning, she just... Disappeared.

* * *

"So, where are you staying?" Juice asked Holly, as they all sat around a table in the lot.

"Oh, I haven't actually got a place yet... This was kind of rushed" Holly answered, as she played with the bottle cap from her bottle of beer.

"If you need a place-" Juice began, before Jax cut him off.

"That won't be necessary" Jax informed the male, as everyone looked at him with surprise "The house is still in your name, you have it" Jax spoke to Holly, although his eyes never met hers.

"Good thing I still have the keys then" Holly retrieved them from her bag, before getting up "I'll see you guys later, I've got some errands to run" she explained, sliding her sunglasses back on.

"Wait. You never told us why you came back... Where you went?" Tig questioned, once again everyone turning their attention to Holly. Except Jax, he just sat their staring at his cigarette.

"I came back because this is home" she began, glancing at the male "It'll always be home" she added, with a small shrug as she looked down at her patch "As for where I went... That's for me to know, and for you to find out" she winked playfully, spinning on her heels and heading off to her car that had since been fixed.

Watching as she pulled out of the lot, Jax excused himself and followed the female. They needed to talk, needed to get things sorted out. That, and if she were to go home and see the nursery - he'd need to explain.

Glancing in her rear-view mirror, Holly rolled her eyes as she noticed the same motorbike _still_ following her. It had been half an hour of aimless driving, and she knew it could only be Jax.

Coming up to a set of lights, they flashed yellow and Holly sped around the corner just before they turned red. Turning another corner, she looked through the mirror once more to see the bike was no longer following her.

But that wouldn't last long.

Pulling up inside the small grocery store, Holly grabbed her bag and entered. Giving the girl behind the counter a smile, she looked more interested in her gossip magazine than basic customer service.

Rolling her eyes, Holly grabbed a trolley and started to push it around. She knew the house would most likely have little to no food, knowing that Jax had never been one to go grocery shopping. Unless Gemma had gotten him some things, Holly would starve if she didn't bring some with her.

Also, she didn't plan on staying at the house with Jax for very long. However she didn't quite know what he meant... Was he just going to pack up and leave? Or would they have to share?

Turning the corner and entering another aisle, Holly stopped to survey her options in cereal. Another woman turned the corner, chatting away on her mobile phone. Holly noticed her baby bump, and then the track marks on her hands and feet. Her nose scrunched up slightly, as she further examined the woman.

Not wanting to get caught, Holly turned back to the cereal and unintentionally listened to the woman's phone call.

"Meet me around the back of the store" the woman spoke in a hushed, but stern, voice. The phone call didn't last long, and neither did Holly's attention towards it.

After finishing her shopping, Holly unloaded the items onto the conveyor-belt. The girl behind the counter snapped her gum, as Holly watched outside as a black car pulled up.

One guy, dressed in jeans and a white singlet, headed off out of sight. The other, dressed in black jeans and a grey shirt, headed into the store.

His eyes caught Holly's, and he gave her a small smile. Not a friendly one, but more of a cocky one - due to the fact he would have caught her staring.

Turning her attention back to the girl behind the counter, she stuck her hand out and looked up at Holly.

"That'll be $105.45" Holly raised her eyebrow at the high price, glancing at all the bags and sighing.

Handing over the money, she took her receipt and placed the bags back into the trolley and pushed it out to her car.

Unloading the bags into the boot of her Charger, although there wasn't much space with all of her belongings from her old apartment, Holly shut it and returned the trolley.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the same male from earlier run out through a small alleyway next to the store, jumping into the black car and speeding off.

Out of curiosity, Holly cautiously headed down the alleyway to see the junkie woman from earlier passed out on the ground.

Holly become more alarmed once she realised all the blood on her pants, and immediately called for an ambulance.

* * *

Biting her lip, Holly paced back and forth as she waited for any kind of news on the woman. After being told she had to leave, she blurted out that she was in fact her sister.

That seemed to work, although the nurse did give her a strange look. Probably because of the leather cut.

Storming towards the reception desk, Jax noticed Tara and knew she would surely have the answers to all of his questions.

"What the hell happened?" he asked, looking over to Wendy in her hospital bed "The baby?" he added, desperate for answers.

"Wendy had track marks all over her feet and hands... The toxicology reports suggest it's Crank. As for the baby, we had to do an emergency C-Section - He's 10 weeks premature" Tara gave all the information she knew, as Jax sighed.  
"Holy shit..." he groaned, unable to believe Wendy's behaviour.

"I'm afraid he's got several problems... All of which combined, can be deadly. The doctor says he has about a 20% survival rate - and that's being optimistic" Tara broke the news, and Jax could feel tears stinging his eyes.

"She's lucky her sister..." Tara paused as she nodded towards Holly who was walking over with a cup of coffee "Found her, anyway she knows the whole story. But for now, we need to sit down and talk this over" Tara added, but Jax didn't want to sit - he wanted revenge.

"Tell me exactly what happened" Jax demanded, as he faced Holly. Holly glanced between Jax and the others and sighed. He didn't even bother to question why Tara thought she was her sister.

"To cut a long story short, _he_ happened" Holly handed over a small pack of matches, from the dealer. Snatching them from her hands, Jax was now fuming. He knew exactly who was behind this.

Jax began storming off again, towards the door.

"Jax!" Gemma called out, as her son briefly turned around.

"Go and see the kid, I've got something to sort out" he answered vaguely, before turning back and continuing on his way out.

"Don't worry, I've got this" Holly sighed, saying goodbye to Clay and Gemma and running off after Jax. Driving behind Jax proved to be quite the challenge, as Holly tried to duck and weave her car through all the traffic.

Once they got there, Holly entered the bar behind Jax. Narrowing his eyes, the male spotted the person he was looking for and immediately headed over to him. Taking a pool cue off a passer-by, Jax gripped onto it tightly and swung it around to hit the male over the head.

"Hey!" a few others shouted, trying to get past Holly to help the male Jax was currently punching in the face. The other male fell to the ground, blood flowing from his nose and mouth - of course, this didn't slow down or stop Jax.

"You sold Crank to my pregnant ex-wife?" Jax asked through clenched teeth, causing Holly to widen her eyes as Jax starting to kick the man.

Minutes passed, and Holly got a hold of Jax and started to pull him away. He had gotten married? And divorced? _And_ become a parent?

"I think you've made your point" she tried calming the blonde down, as they headed towards the exit. Jax shrugged Holly's hands away, and sighed.

"What are you doing here Holly? What are you doing joining the club again? You know it was never a place for a-" Jax began, before Holly cut him off with a slap across the face.

"Don't you dare say it" she pointed her finger at him "Don't you _fucking_ dare, Jackson" she growled, opening her car door.

Taking a step to close the distance, Jax knew she was pissed off. There's no way she'd ever use his full name, unless she was about to rip his head off.

"Oh yeah? What are you gonna do about it?" Jax tested her, raising an eyebrow.

"Go back to your son and _ex-wife_ " the blonde instructed, tearing her eyes away and getting into her car. Slamming the door shut, she drove off towards the house. She needed to salvage as many groceries in the car as she could.

* * *

Pulling into the gas station, Jax got off his bike and headed inside to buy his essentials: a carton of cigarettes and a box of condoms.

Pushing the glass door open, Jax listened to the bell above his head chime. Stopping by a display of books, Jax picked one up and started flicking through it.

Placing it back down, Jax tried his best to not let Holly fill his thoughts again. Placing the items he was going to purchase down onto the counter, Jax was oblivious to the female behind the til as she tugged down on her blouse to make her chest more visible.

Looking up from the money in his hands, Jax pointed to the cigarettes behind the girl.

"Hey Louise, pack of the usual" Jax informed her, before she spun around and reached for them.

Placing them into the plastic bag along with the other items, she sneaked the book in she had watched Jax reading earlier. For a split and rare second, her attention had adverted to something other than Jax. From afar, she watched as flames burst into the sky.

"What the hell is that?" Louise questioned, her eyes widening. Even though she was a safe distance away from the blast, she felt scared. Jax followed her gaze, approaching the window to see what she was so distracted by.

Eyes landing on the blaze, Jax panicked.

"Shit!" he exclaimed, pushing the doors open and leaving the store and a confused Louise. Getting back on his bike, Jax headed straight for the clubhouse. With any luck, everybody would still be hanging around. Admittedly, he'd even be glad to see Holly there. Anyone would do at this point.

* * *

The following morning Holly, Jax, Clay and Tig rode over to the location of the blast. Clay was beyond pissed. He knew the Mayans would have to be behind this, for sure. Pulling up among the ruins, he headed over to inspect the scene.

Placing his hands on his hips, Clay shook his head. He couldn't believe this had happened, there was really no reason for it. He had a guy watching the warehouse, so this kind of thing wouldn't happen.

There was only one person right now who could shed some light on the situation, and luckily, he was on the Sam Crow payroll.

Sheriff Vic Tramell.

"What the hell happened?" Clay skipped the greetings, and instead asking the question on everyone's mind.

"Some propane tanks caught on fire" Vic sighed, as he shook his head "The place just blew up, with all that ammo inside... The fire department said it was arson, they saw _a lot_ of boot prints" the male explained, as he walked through the ashes with the the other four club members.

"Cowboy?" Clay asked, as Vic nodded in response.

"Told you it was those shit-eating Mayans" Tig called out.

"Wait - where the hell was Rodriguez?" Jax inquired, taking in his surroundings.

"Your watchmen has gone MIA" Vic answered, making Clay even angrier. If he ever saw Rodriguez again... He was a dead man.

"What kind of exposure are we looking at?" Clay asked, hoping the event had gone unnoticed.

"Officially... Myself and the fire department. I guess the fire captain could be convinced to change the report" Vic shrugged, answering truthfully "Unofficially - the blast was seen in two county's. This location - dead" he added.

"Jesus Christ" Clay muttered, turning to face Vic "The guns?" he raised an eyebrow, hoping at least some of them had been able to be retrieved.

"All gone... except for a few glocks" Vic frowned, his answer not at all the one Clay had been hoping to get. Turning around, he kicked the nearest object in frustration.

"Look - get the fireman on board, and don't let this shit hit the ATF's radar" Jax instructed, as he handed Vic some money.

As they all went to leave, Holly noticed a small door that must have lead to the basement. Lifting it up with her foot, she covered her mouth because a) she was about to scream and b) the smell was absolutely horrible.

Everyone turned to face her, as she started to cough.

"H- What the hell?" Tig was genuinely confused, as he walked over to the female and saw what she was staring out. Two members of their assembly crew, a mother and daughter, were inside - burnt, of course.

"Get them out of here, Trammel" Clay groaned, walking off towards his bike. Jax simply handed more money over, as Vic sighed and tried to think exactly how he could pull this one off.

Tig walked off also, following Clay. Jax went to walk off, and turned to see Holly still standing there. Frowning, he took a hold of her arm and pulled her along

"C'mon, darling" he instructed, in a soothing voice. Of course, he hadn't meant to say it. He did it out of habit, and luckily for him, she hadn't heard.

* * *

Pulling into the TM lot, Holly got out of her car and headed over to Chibs and Kip - who had been introduced to her as Half-Sack - with an amused smile. A deer's head - a dead, bloody, and messy one - was through the windscreen of the car the two males had just picked up.

"How the hell am I supposed to get this out?" Kip let out a frustrated sigh, as he stared at the car with wide eyes. Holly laughed, taking a chainsaw from the truck and handing it to Half-Sack.

"Here, pretend you're carving up a nice big, juicy steak" Holly suggested, as the other male took the chainsaw with an uneasy feeling in his stomach.

"I um... I don't eat meat" Kip frowned, already feeling guilty about this.

"You'll figure it out, kiddo" Holly smirked, placing a cigarette between her lips and lighting it up.

As Kip walked off, Chibs lead Holly through the lot.

"What the hell happened out there?" he questioned, both concerned and eager to find out what exactly went on.

"Oh, some Mayan's torched the warehouse, stole the guns for the Niners" Holly recalled the conversation she heard between Clay and Tig.

"Holy shit... Where's Clay?" Chibs interrupted.

"He went off to face Laroy... Try and get us some time" Jax explained Clay's absence, as he came up behind the two.

"But they already paid for that supply!" Chibs exclaimed, shaking his head. Holly glanced down at the ground, still unsure about the situation. She would definitely have to do some research if she wanted to be the best member she could be.

"I'm afraid that's the hard part" Jax shrugged, before his phone started to ring. Handing his cigarette to Chibs, he answered the call and paced around "Hey, mum" he greeted the caller, with a smile.

"Hey, sweetie. Have you been to the storage unit yet?" Gemma asked.

"Nah, I've been tied up with club business" Jax frowned, listening to his mother.

"Well, you should go this afternoon. There's a whole heap of baby stuff in there, it'll all be useful" Gemma explained "Oh, and could you take Holly with you? She needs a place to put some stuff away safely" Gemma asked, as Jax groaned.

"Sure, it's not like I have a choice" Jax rolled his eyes, even though she couldn't see him.

"Exactly" she laughed in response, before continuing "You make sure you invite her over for the dinner tomorrow, same with Chibs and that other new kid" she added.

"I'll do my best. Later, _grandma_ " Jax smirked, as he fiddled with the cap on his head.

"Asshole" Gemma mumbled with a smile, as she ended the call.

Following Chibs and Holly inside to hear the verdict of Clay's meeting with Laroy, all three took their seats in the chapel, everyone's attention turned towards Clay.

"We've got a day..." Clay announced, leaning forward onto the table "I don't care if we have to kill, we're getting those guns back and to the Niners" Clay finalised, taking a sip from his beer bottle.

"Alright... Me and Chibs will find intel on the Mayan's. Juice, start hacking into the database and get as many addresses as possible. Bobby's busy so I'll find someone to do his job" Jax began planning, before Tig cut him off.

"Wait, what do you mean Bobby's busy?" Tig questioned, as Clay leaned back with a devious look.

"Don't you worry about Bobby, we've got fresh blood to handle that job" Clay answered Tig's question, as everyone turned to look at the prospect.

"You boys should really start trusting me" Holly advised as everyone looked to her as she spoke, Jax finding himself smirking at her comment.

"We'll be doing this tonight, get this shit over with" Clay informed everyone, before looking to Juice "No pressure" he smiled faintly, before ending the meeting.  
Standing up from her seat, Holly went to leave the Chapel but stopped as she heard Jax speaking into her ear.

"Not so fast, you and I have some jobs to do" he started to walk ahead of her, knowing if he didn't she would bombard him with questions.

Getting into one of the vans, Jax waited for Holly to get into the other side before heading off towards the storage unit. There was no way all of the stuff for the nursery would fit in Holly's car, and of course no way he could get it home on his bike.

* * *

Standing before his bed in the Clubhouse, Jax started to equip himself for the night ahead of him; a gun on his ankle, a knife on his belt, a bullet proof vest, and a gun inside of his cut. Placing his gloves on, he ran a hand over his hair and let out a deep breath.

Leaving the room, he went out to his bike and checked on Holly. Ever since the slap across the face, he started to doubt her less than the minute she walked through the Chapel door. He watched as she climbed into one of the vans and put the bag of explosives on the seat next to her.

"Follow me, the others will join us" Jax instructed Holly, who nodded. Starting the car up, she waited for Jax to leave so she could follow him. Exiting the lot, they drove through Charming on the way to the location Juice had found.

Passing a group of girls, who looked to be only eighteen, Holly watched as they all stopped to check Jax out. Holly rolled her eyes, knowing that he would find this flattering and was most likely smirking about it.

One by one, the others joined Jax and Holly - with Clay leading everyone, of course. Once they arrived, everyone parked their cars and bikes in a safe distance before quietly heading over. Cutting a hole in the fence, everyone snuck through.

Bursting through the back door to the building, the group held their torches and guns up to inspect the large room. Opening up a wooden crate, Jax dug through the contents until he retrieved a gun.

"Praise Jesus, it's a miracle" Clay let out a sigh of relief.

"There's more over here!" Tig yelled, from the other side of the room.

"Alright, go take 'em out to the van" Clay instructed, as Tig and and a few others lifted the crates and took them out to the van.

Holly began setting up the explosives inside, with the help of Jax - she hadn't asked him to, but he had insisted on helping.

"We've got company" Juice announced, as Clay joined him at the window to inspect.

"Gotta be the Mayan's" Clay answered, placing his hands on his hips "Tig, get the van out of sight. Everyone else, lay low" Clay ordered, and everyone moved into a position so they wouldn't be seen "You, with me" Clay pointed to Jax.

Exchanging glances, Holly noticed that Jax looked worried. She gave him a faint smile, to suggest he'd be fine. He gave her a quick nod, before getting up and leaving with Clay. Running up to a dumpster, the two males took cover and kept an eye on the Mayan's truck paired just inside the gate.

"We should have been long gone by now" Clay sighed, glaring over at Jax. He and Holly had an argument previously about the explosives, causing their schedule to go off-course.

"We got the goods, lets just get out of here" Jax kept his eyes truck.

"No way. I came here to send a message... As soon as those two wetbacks see the busted doors, they'll call more for backup" Clay shook his head.

"Look, I'll go distract them to the dumpster" Jax ran over to the other side of the alleyway, before Clay could protest. Picking up a blanket that had been left on top of the bins lid, Jax wrapped it around himself and his head, before staggering around singing as if he were a homeless drunk.

The two Mayan's walked over, amused.

"Hey, tell your other dirtbag buddies not to camp out here. Or they'll get some of this" the shorter one warned, before swinging his face towards Jax.

After getting hit, Jax doubled over and shrugged the blanket off as he hit the male back. Clay came up behind the other, and held his gun to the males neck.

"No bang bang, por favor" Clay spoke into his ear, with a demanding tone. Taking his gun, Clay pushed the male forward. Facing the male who had punched Jax, Clay spoke again "You tell _your_ dirtbag buddies, that if they ever steal from us again - they'll get some of this" Clay warned, as he raised his gun and shot the other male in the throat.

After the gunshot echoed through the alleyway, someone got into the truck and began to speed off. Pushing the remanding Mayan forward, both Jax and Clay held their guns up at him.

"I got 'em!" Holly yelled, as she ran out towards the back of the truck. Holding onto the side, she boosted herself up and rolled into the back. Sitting up, she aimed her gun through the open window and fired shots into the back of the males head.

He slumped over the steering wheel, and the car came to a stop as it hit the brick wall. Jumping out of the truck, Holly walked over as Juice and the rest of the members came running out to Jax and Clay.

"Holy shit!" Juice exclaimed, regaining his breath.

"Check the back, make sure that's all of 'em" Jax instructed, as Juice nodded and went off with the others to check leaving Clay, Jax and the the Mayan standing there.

"He's all yours" Clay sighed, heading off to the side. Jax narrowed his eyes, fixing his gaze on the Mayan.

He got down on his knee's, and started to pray as he looked up at the night sky. Jax aimed his gun at the male, before getting shot twice in his back. Holly gasped, refraining herself from running over to see if he was okay.

Even though they had several arguments, and were tense around one another - she still found herself caring about him, and Jax felt himself caring about her too.

Rolling onto his back, Jax fired shots towards his shooter who ended up falling to the ground. Among all the action, the male Jax was originally meant to shoot reached for the knife in his pocket. If it weren't for Holly noticing this, Jax would have been stabbed. But instead, he met the same fate as his friends as Holly shot him.

Wincing, Jax tried to stand up as Holly came over to help him. Grabbing a hold of his arm, the blonde pulled him up.

"I'm alright... I got a vest" he assured both Holly and Clay. Running over, Chibs groaned.

"Mother of Christ, I leave you alone for two seconds and it turns to shit" he shook his head, as Juice took in the sight before him.

Moving back into the building, Holly began to check all the explosives and make sure they were all set to go.

"This shit-holes about to light up like a birthday cake" she announced, instructing everyone to start leaving. Rolling the object she set on fire towards the explosives, she ran out with the others towards the van. Within seconds, the whole place blew up as everyone ducked to protect their heads.

Sitting in the back of the van, Jax glared at the back of Clay's head as they drove off. Holly raised her eyebrow at this, but decided against questioning it. It would only result in another argument.

* * *

 **a/n** hope you liked this chapter! :)

 **unedited**


	4. Seeds

**listen to** revenge and it's thrills **by** tonight alive

* * *

Lifting up the hood of the car in front of her, Holly bit her lip as she inspected. Reaching for some tools, she began working straight away. Looking up as she heard a motorbike outside, Holly watched as Tig walked over to Clay with an uneasy expression.

"You're coming to the dinner, aren't you?" Holly whipped her head around to see Gemma standing at the doorway between the garage and the office.

"Oh, uh... of course" Holly nodded in response, trying to recall Jax asking her about coming over for the dinner.

"Great, it'll be good to catch up" Gemma smiled genuinely, before disappearing into the office to answer the phone. Going back to the car, Holly felt her phone ringing in her pocket. Wiping her hands on a rag, she retrieved the phone and answered the call.

"Hello?" she greeted the caller, waiting for them to speak. When there was no answer, she let out a frustrated sigh and ended the call. Stuffing her phone back into her pocket, she ignore Jax's questioning look as he turned his head around to face her.

Watching as Clay and Tig walked through the lot and into the Clubhouse, Holly followed them in and figured it was time to get paid for the deal with Laroy. Catching the envelope of money Clay had thrown towards her, she mouthed a thank-you.

"Holly, sweetheart - there's a package here for you" Gemma called out as she walked into the Clubhouse, waving the parcel in the air. Hurrying over, Holly smiled at Gemma before taking it. Using her pocket knife to cut through the tape, Holly dug through the shredded paper and revealed a stack of photos.

Flipping them over, her eyes widened as she started to shuffle through the photos. Shoving them back into the box, she scurried out of the building. In fear of throwing up, she gripped onto the railing in front of her and looked down as she tried to regain her breath.

She knew it wouldn't be long before someone would be out asking about her sudden departure, so she walked over to her car and got in. Perhaps a long drive would take her mind of things...

* * *

"Well. There's only one way to keep that forensics team away from our warehouse... and that's another murder in the area" Clay sighed, as he leaned back in his chair. Holly nodded in agreement, and of course Jax thought otherwise.

"No way, man" Jax shook his head.

"Hale's on red-alert... The Mayan's, the Nord's - everyone is jumpy right now" Juice backed up Jax's argument.

"It's not a good time to kill-" Jax started up again, before Clay interrupted.

"Of course it's not a good time, it's never a good time. But we need to protect Tig, and stay out of the ATF's cross-hares. Tig, since this is your mess - go and kill two birds with one stone, take out two of Darby's guys and we'll use the bodies" Clay ordered, as Tig nodded and stood up to leave the room.

"Wait!" Holly called out, before clearing her throat as everyone stared at her - which was becoming a regular thing "What if there was a way I could pull this off, without any blood being spilled?" she asked, and everyone laughed "Don't go thinking I'm crazy, I mean ' _brains before bullets_ ' right?" the blonde quoted the plaque on the wall, which everyone glanced at and seemed to become more on board with her suggestion.

"Alright, let's hear you out" Clay shrugged, figuring it was worth a shot.

"Now, what do we need for a murder?" Holly questioned, looking around the table.

"Bodies and a crime scene" Jax answered, as everyone nodded and waited for Holly to continue.

"Jackie boy and Holly... You've both really lost me" Chibs pointed a finger to his head, with a confused look.

"Skeeter!" Jax exclaimed, realising what Holly was on about.

"The cemetery guy?" Bobby asked, with an unsure expression. Not that he thought it was a bad idea, he just found him creepy. Alot of people did, actually.

"Yes, the cemetery guy" Holly confirmed, with a nod.

"Ah, I like it" Chibs flashed Holly a grin, whilst nodding.

"I give a front-page murder, and we don't stir up any unnecessary drama. It's a win-win... As for sending old Darby a message..." Holly bit her lip, before Jax continued for her.

"I'll sort him out" Jax promised as everyone awaited Clay's answer eagerly.

"Alright, we'll do it your way blondie" Clay agreed, as everyone got up to leave and start work on Holly's idea "Don't make me regret this - and I don't want to hear another lovers quarrel either" Clay warned, as he stopped both Jax and Holly.

They both nodded in response, waiting for the older male to leave.

"I'll go visit Skeeter" Holly informed Jax, as she started to walk out.

"I'm coming too, I don't trust that guy" Jax called out, as they walked out to the van. Getting in, Jax decided to ride with Holly. Juice and Half-Sack got on their bikes, and led the way to the crematorium.

* * *

Opening the doors to reveal Skeeter working away, Half-Sack looked around.

"They really cremate people here?" he asked, as Jax rolled his eyes.

"Yep, they do" Jax gently pushed the male inside, as they all walked in.

"What do you think that things for? Wood-fired pizza?" Holly shook her head, as everyone but Half-Sack laughed.

"Oh, hey guys. H-hey Holly" Skeeter greeted the group, Jax subconsciously taking a step closer to Holly protectively "What are you guys doing here?" he asked nervously, not used to having all these club members here. Even if there were only four of them.

"We need a favour" Holly announced, as Skeeter scurried around.

"Now's not exactly good time, I've got the boss crawling up my ass" Skeeter answered, hitting the back of Half-Sacks head as he caught him playing around with some of the equipment.

"Let us clear up your schedule... We need two fresh bodies" Holly explained, as she sent a warning look to Half-Sack.

"W-what for?" Skeeter asked, genuinely confused.

"I could tell you, but then you'd have to go into the furnace" Jax laughed, as Skeeter joined in.

"Two fresh ones? That's... That's crazy" Skeeter shook his head, as he continued to fiddle around.

"Here, still crazy?" Holly asked, as she handed him an envelop full of money. Skeeter shook his head, declining "You _don't_ want money?" she raised her eyebrow, and he shook his head.

She could hear the others mumbling several choice words, as she tried to remain calm.

"You know what you can give me? A date" Skeeter grinned, as Holly scrunched her nose up - an action Skeeter luckily hadn't seen.

"With who?" Jax narrowed his eyes, and folded his arms as Skeeter turned around.

"Ho-" he started, if Jax wasn't there, he definitely would have answered with Holly. But because he was scared of the male, he went for his second choice "How about Emily Duncan? Been trying to push up on that for _a long time_ " Skeeter grinned like an idiot as he nodded his head.

"Okay, I can get you the croweater" Holly agreed, nudging Jax's arm "You can sort that out, right?" she raised her eyebrow, as Jax nodded.

"Shit. Okay, um... You got a deal then!" Skeeter nodded once more, walking over to the other side of the room. Picking up a clipboard, he studied his schedule "Well, I'm not cremating anything until the end of the week" Skeeter explained.

"We need two by the end of the afternoon" Juice interrupted, holding up two fingers.

"Okay, well I have to prepare a closed coffin and I just buried a guy this morning" Skeeter informed, looking up from the paper.

"White guy and a Mexican?" Jax asked, and Skeeter nodded.

"That'll be great" Holly grinned, before Half-Sack interrupted.

"Wait... We have to dig one of 'em up?" he asked, with a concerned tone.

"Who said anything about 'we'?" Juice asked, before the others started to laugh.

* * *

Opening the door to Jax's room, Holly's eyes landed on him and another slightly older woman - Emily Duncan. She quickly closed the door, trying to erase the image from her mind. Seconds later, she heard hurried footsteps and turned to see Jax - who was catching up to her whilst getting dressed.

"What's the rush?" Jax asked, as he fell into step with the blonde. Holly just glared at him, not bothering to answer. Heading back to the van, she got in and drove off before Jax could get in. Leaving him to ride in the car with Juice.

Once back at the cemetery, Holly hopped out of the van and walked over to Half-Sack who was still digging.

"Missed a spot" she laughed, looking down into the plot. Half-Sack jumped, almost dropping his shovel.

"Jesus Christ! You almost killed me" he shook his head, as the others walked over to inspect.

"Good thing we're at a crematorium and a spot just opened then, huh?" Holly grinned, as Half-Sack groaned and lifted the lid on the coffin.

"How are we going to pull this off?" he questioned, scratching his head.

After what seemed like an hour trying to get the body out, Jax loaded it and the other into the back of the van.

"... So, you're into croweaters now huh?" Holly asked, as she drove down the lonely road - so far the only other car around was Juice and Half-Sack behind them.

"Hey, you asked if I could sort it out. You didn't say _how_ " Jax answered, as he rolled his eyes.

He couldn't help but smirk at the fact Holly was jealous. Even if she was going to deny it, he knew it would be true.

Looking into the side-mirror, Holly groaned at Jax's response as she watched two flashy looking cards speeding behind them. She didn't take much notice, and figured they were in some kind of race - considering they had moved onto the opposite side of the road.

The first car moved back into the right side, followed by the second which narrowly avoided the van - causing Holly to swerve out of the way, going off the road and stopping within an inch of a tree. Moving back onto the road, Jax shifted in his seat.

"Assholes!" Holly yelled, even though they wouldn't of heard, but she didn't care. If it weren't for the seat belt, she would have for sure flown through the windscreen and ended up like that deer.

"So... What was in that package this morning? Is someone hassling you?" Jax asked, breaking the sudden silence. Distracted, Holly hadn't even realised he said something until she saw his expectant look out of the corner of her eye.

"No. I was uh, just feeling a little sick" the blonde lied, as she started to shake her head. Just as Jax was going to answer, he saw a police car parked ahead of them.

"Shit, how'd I know we'd have company..." the male shook his head, leaning back into his seat. Driving past them, Holly held her breath and hoped the others would make it through. But once she heard the siren, and saw the car turning around she knew they were about to be in deep shit.

How on earth would you ever possibly be able to explain the fact you have two dead bodies in the back of your van, just casually?

Knowing there was no point in trying to evade them, Holly pulled the van up on the side of the road. Sitting up her seat, she fiddled with her hair and pulled her top down slightly before she looked at herself in the mirror. Maybe she could get out of this by using her looks - after all, it had worked several other times.

Jax scoffed at her actions, before watching as a sheriff approached the van. Bringing the window down, Holly raised her eyebrows.

"What seems to be the problem this afternoon, officer?" she asked, before Juice's car rammed into the back of the police car.

"Wait right here" he warned, before chasing Juice and Half-Sack down the road. Jumping out of the van without warning Jax, Holly used her knife to let down tow of the police cars wheels and ripping the radio out.

Running back to the car, she jumped in and turned it back onto the road to catch up to the other two. Within seconds, Jax, Juice and Half-Sack were in the back of the van as the police officer stopped running and fired shots - which fortunately, had missed the vehicle and everyone inside.

"Where the hell did you come up with all of that?" Juice asked, whilst panting from running. Holly grinned proudly, as she looked into the rear-view mirror at Jax.

"I once dated this criminal" the girl shrugged, as Juice and Half-Sack laughed. Jax just shook his head, climbing back into his seat at the front.

* * *

Laying down one of the bodies, Jax positioned the males head - which had been detached, and stood back up.

"Okay, come forward... little bit more, little bit more and... stop!" he instructed Chibs, before the male got out of the car to inspect the scene.

"That's nasty" he shook his head, wondering how the head had been removed in the first place.

"No, that's brilliant" Holly corrected with a grin, walking up behind them "I'll need some help with the next one" she pointed to the other male, who was much larger. Taking one corner of the sheet he had been wrapped up in, Chibs took the other and helped the female drag it into place.

Once he was sat in the car, Holly scrunched her nose up - she was definitely having a shower as soon as she got home. Half-Sack jogged over, handing out the blood they would be using to make this whole thing work.

Thanking the male, she began to squirt the blood over the male in the car, laughing as Chibs made fun of Half-Sack's way of doing it. Once they finished, they all lined up and aimed their guns towards the car.

"Time for the finishing touch" Holly grinned once more, before they all started to shoot at the car. Placing the gun in the hand of the male on the ground, Holly watched as Jax wrote a message on the car with some of the blood.

 **M + N = BLOOD**

Running over to the getaway car, Holly climbed in instructed Juice to go. Driving back to the Clubhouse, Juice announced that they'd have to stop off at the gas station in order to fill the tank up. As he got out, Holly glanced around to see a familiar looking car.

Looking over to a sleeping Half-Sack, she frowned and turned to look at Chibs - who wasn't there, leaving Jax her only option to speak to. Nudging his arm, she pointed through the window.

"Look, it's one of those guys from earlier!" she exclaimed, before climbing over him to get out of the car.

Knowing it would only end badly, Jax rolled his eyes for what seemed like the millionth time that day, and followed her into the store.

"Let me take care of this" Jax held his arm out to stop her from walking further, as she glared up at him.

Knowing there was no use in arguing, she simply sighed and gestured for him to keep walking. With a satisfied smirk, Jax continued to walk towards the driver of the car.

"Pass us one of those" Jax spoke up with his usual menacing tone, as the now startled male turned around.

Before he could answer, Jax swung his fist and it collided with the males chin. Falling to the ground, Jax started to kick him - just like he had done with the crank dealer the other day. Hearing the shopkeeper yell, Holly quickly grabbed the security tape once he had walked over to the other males.

Tucking it inside her cut, she walked over to Jax and glared down at the male. Picking the man up by his shirt, Jax sneered at him.

"Don't ever cut her off again, asshole" he warned, dropping the male back onto the ground as he groaned and looked up at Holly - whom he figured Jax had been talking about.

Stepping over the male, Jax joined Holly and started to walk towards the exit. The shopkeeper continued to yell, as the male Jax had just practically beaten to a pulp rised to his feet and aimed his gun towards Jax.

"Why don't you call me that again, _asshole_?!" he exclaimed, pulling the trigger.

Jax widened his eyes, ducking his head and pulling Holly down with him. The shopkeeper did the same, but with a woman who had entered the store just seconds ago - narrowly avoiding the bullet. The woman started screaming as the glass door shattered behind her.

Breaking free from Jax's tight grip, Holly lunged towards the shooter and tried to wrestle the gun out of his hands. Ignoring Jax's yelling, Holly winced as the male pushed her back into a shelf. Finding all her strength to push him back, the male ended up pushing her to the ground before she could do anything.

Falling on her backside, along with various items on the display that had fallen down with her, Holly sat up and tried to reach for the gun as the disorientated male aimed for her head. Luckily for her, but not so luckily for him, the shopkeeper rushed over with an axe and swung it straight into his neck, beheading him.

Letting go of the unfamiliar woman, Jax slowly got up and tried to process what had just happened. He stared over at Holly in disbelief, thinking he would have lost her. She slowly got up, realising Half-Sack and Juice had come up to the broken door.

"Fuck..." she exhaled, biting her lip as she stared down at the dead body. The other woman had disappeared, and the shopkeeper was shaking like a leaf "I don't suppose we need another body?" Holly joked, as Jax stared at her as if she were crazy.

Walking back out to the car, everyone piled back in - causing Chibs to wake up.

"What'd I miss?" he questioned, as he looked around feeling groggy.

"A whole lot, Chibs. A whole lot..." Holly shook her head, with a light laugh as Juice continued on to the clubhouse.

* * *

Zipping up the back of her dress, Holly glanced at her outfit once again and bit her lip. She wasn't sure about this dinner, but figured it would allow her to catch up with everyone and get back into contact with them.

Jax had gone ahead to see Abel, before going to the dinner. Heading back into the bedroom, Holly tried not to get caught up in old memories as she reached for her bag. Digging around, she pulled out her car keys and realised the photos from this morning will still in there.

Walking over to the set of drawers, she pulled one open and buried the stack under some clothing. Most of which she handed touched since she left that day, but hadn't gotten around to getting rid of them just yet.

Heading out the car, not wanting to be late, Holly drove over to Gemma and Clay's house feeling nervous. Once she was there, and convinced herself it would all be okay, she walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell.

Moments later, Luann opened the door with a warm smile.

"Holly, darling! It's so good to see you" she pulled the female in for a hug, before leading her inside "Take a seat, dinner is almost ready" Luann added, as she shut the door.

Walking off towards the kitchen, Holly remembered the way to the dining table. Hell, she remembered the way to every room in the house. She had probably spent more time here, than her own home growing up.

She and Jax were practically inseparable, due to the fact their mothers were best friends. When they were fifteen, they starting dating - although looking back, she was sure Gemma had arranged the whole thing - and were together until they were twenty.

That's when Jax became vice president, and Clay and Gemma told Holly to leave Charming. Not in a demanding way, they just explained it would be best for her to leave. That's when she moved to her previous town, joining her Uncle's club. He too was a vice president, his best mate the president.

He knew Clay, hence the reason she was sitting here right now. She was more shocked than anyone to be here right now, and even more shocked with Jax's reaction. She expected him to be angry, and throw tantrums about it.

But instead he was just... normal. Which admittedly, was much more scarier than angry Jax.

"So, Holly... You got a man back at home?" Luann asked, as she reappeared at the table. Looking over to her, Holly noticed a curious look on Jax's face before she answered.

"I did" Holly answered vaguely, not wanting to go into detail. She had several men back home - all of which she wasn't dating, but were still significant to her.

"Well, there are plenty of good sorts around here" Luann flashed a sympathetic smile, as she tilted her head towards an oblivious Jax.

Holly just laughed whilst shaking her head, turning her attention towards Gemma who was approaching the table with a hot dish.

"That, or you can go back for seconds" Gemma winked at Holly, who felt her cheeks burning up.

She looked over to Jax, who was smirking. Ducking her head, Holly laughed at her comment and started to fill her plate with food.

Gemma took a seat next to Holly and Clay who was at the head of the table - as usual, of course. They spent the rest of the dinner talking - well, mostly interrogating Holly about how she spent her time away from Charming.

And whilst she was helping clean up, Luann went back to the topic of boyfriends and asked Holly a million questions about her ex.

After saying goodbye, Holly walked out to her car with Jax. He had asked for a ride home, seeing as he and Gemma had come over to the house together after going to the hospital. Opening the door, Holly's eyes landed on an envelope sitting in the drivers seat.

Picking it up, she opened it to reveal even more photos - much like the others she had recieved. Gulping, she tried hiding them from Jax but he had managed to snatch them out of her hands. Frowning, he looked over to the blonde.

"Holly, what the hell is going on?" He asked, genuinely concerned.

* * *

 **a/n** thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed

 **unedited**


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